Nicci Mazzotta Townsend
Microsoft Director of Customer Success Account Management, Strategics, Northeast Region
Challenge: Refine Powerpoint slide deck as part of a job application
My sister-in-law is a powerhouse. She’s just one of those people who gets things done - on time, efficiently, and perfectly - without fail. Nicci works as an account manager in the tech field with a specialty in sales, but in addition to that, her family’s business is in the beauty industry.
Their company, Cospro, creates and formulates products for large, well-known brands as well as lines of their own. Nicci has worked in the family business off and on for decades and developed her own incredible line of products named nama. Nama has great formulas, smells, fresh and clean, and people love it. In fact, it has inspired something of a regional cult following.
I have helped Nicci with a wide range of projects over the years. When nama was in development, I helped her with graphic design, photography, marketing strategies, etc. The nama line includes hand sanitizer which, in March of 2020, was nearly impossible to find and was in high demand. Since Nicci was well-positioned for such a moment, we sprung into action and were able to get nama placed with a few well known retailers.
The most recent, and arguably the most impactful project I’ve worked on for Nicci, was when she was applying for her dream job at Microsoft. We worked together on her “impact deck” as part of her application process. Neither of us were familiar with this term, but I interpreted it to be a hybrid of a résumé and a biographical Powerpoint presentation. Obviously all of the data had to be accurate, but beyond that, I wanted the presentation to tell a compelling story. I wanted it to capture Nicci’s multi-faceted personality, background, and the many gifts I knew she would bring to the job. Additionally, I wanted the presentation to have a deliberate, consistent, and polished look. (This is something that’s a given in the arts, but is apparently rare in the tech field.)
These are just a few of the slides, but I wanted to show how I used a recent trip to Peru as a thread woven throughout the presentation. The culmination of the trip - and our narrative arc - was her reaching the summit of Pachamama, a mountain named for the Incan goddess.
Using the mountain and its namesake goddess as a symbolic device felt perfect: Nicci is the mother of three (Pachamama is the goddess of fertility), Nicci is an avid gardener (Pachamama oversees planting and the harvest), the act of climbing the mountain itself was a fitting way to express commitment and achievement, and finally, the goddess Pachahmama is known to cause earthquakes… just like my sister-in-law who is a force of nature in her own right.
I will let Nicci finish the story below, but I will conclude by saying that I loved working on this project. This kind of intricate storytelling is my favorite kind of challenge, especially when it’s for someone's as impressive and dear to me as Nicci is.
Nicci’s Testimonial
If you have the chance to work with Jen Townsend, you should take it. Her gifts and talents are unique and hard to find. She can make something beautiful and meaningful from the smallest concept, idea, or piece of thread. The amount of time, energy, commitment and love she has given me is a treasure.
She is not only my sister-in-law, but also my friend, and my creator. That might sound strange, but it is true. Yes, she is my creator. I often don't embark on a journey without consulting Jen first. I ask her opinion on the usual - clothing, make-up, hair - but my dependence on her superb sense of style and taste go beyond the usual. I would not even think of writing a letter, putting a plant in my garden or ever attempting to create a presentation for a prospective client (QVC) or potential job offer (Microsoft) without her input or assistance. Jen has both emotional intellect and the ability to be precise, concise, and decisive with words. She inserts her whole self into a project and, in essence, becomes the very thing she is trying to help you achieve. With this, Jen accepts great responsibility to ensure the outcome is a success.
If you are wondering, did I land QVC as a customer and get the job at Microsoft, the answer is yes to both. During the pandemic, while no new brands were being accepted to QVC, Jen helped my family's business create an impressive presentation full of images she had to professionally photograph, edit, and size... along with creating multiple kits and deals that would catch QVC's attention. I was able to land the account and was accepted as an on-air guest where I sold over 250,000 units of Nama hand sanitizer. QVC said they had never taken on a brand that quickly and it was because they were so impressed with our ability to showcase the deals in a comprehensive and convincing way.
A few months later, I was deep into a job search I thought would never end and when it did, I never thought it would allow me to land the best job of my lifetime. A week before my interviews began, the sponsor who brought me to Microsoft said, "send me your impact deck"....I was like, what is an impact deck? I have been in account management/sales in tech companies for over twenty years, I’ve built and led teams where I have hired many people and had never heard of this. I got some examples and showed Jen an outline of what I was told to do. She, of course, said, “let me take a stab at this. We need to get you this job. You deserve it, and if you let me help you, we will make sure you get it”.
Jen put her heart and soul into my impact deck and I sent it out a couple of days ahead of time. I not only got the job, but was given the offer the same day I interviewed. This is unheard of at a company as large as Microsoft where dozens of candidates interview for a single opening and the decision process is lengthy. My boss later told me that he sent the deck to his daughter before I met with him and she said, "Hire her, dad, she knows what she's doing. Look at this deck!" He said he has never made a decision that quickly and that the interview was just a formality after he saw the deck. You can imagine how incredibly touched I was and for a moment I thought, what will I do when he finds out I can't create a deck like this on my own!? Not to worry, because Jen made me a template I can use!! I have been using that template for the past year and have helped many others who don't know how to create a strong presentation.
The truth is, this stuff does not come easily to everyone. Jen cares deeply and takes the burden off of you so you can worry about the areas where you excel the most. Jen has armed me with the confidence from the successes she has helped me achieve AND given me the tools to do some of it on my own. Don't get me wrong, I am always going to need her. As I said, she is my creator and has truly transformed the way I approach demonstrating my personal brand. She has given me the gift of showing others who I am and what I have to offer. I am so proud of her generosity, creativity and incredible talent. I am forever grateful for all she has done for me and my family.
